Game Recap: Falcons vs. Jets

The Falcons fell to the Jets 30-28 on Monday Night Football. Atlanta will head into its bye week 1-4, with its next game coming at home on Oct. 20 against the Buccaneers.

The Falcons clawed their way back into the game after trailing 27-14 early in the fourth quarter to take a 28-27 lead with 1:54 remaining. QB Matt Ryan completed 12 of 18 pass attempts for 122 yards, one touchdown and a 104.4 passer rating in the fourth quarter, but Jets kicker Nick Folk sealed the win for New York with a 43-yard field goal as time expired.

Atlanta racked up 363 yards of total offense and converted on four of its five red zone possessions in the loss. Additionally, the Falcons 26 first downs were the most by the club since registering 28 in a win at Washington one year ago (10/7/12).

Ryan completed 36 of 45 passes for 319 yards with two touchdowns and a 111.0 quarterback rating against the Jets. Monday night, marked just the second time in his career that the Falcons have lost a game when Ryan records a passer rating of 100-or-better. Atlanta owns a 33-2 (.943) record in those games.

Ryan has thrown for 300-plus yards in four of his last five games and posted a rating above 100 in 10 of his last 15 home games.

With a six-yard reception on Atlanta’s opening drive, TE Tony Gonzalez became the second player in NFL history to post at least one reception in 200 straight games. Gonzalez joins Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice (274) as the only two players to accomplish that feat. His last game without a catch came on November 26, 2000 at San Diego. He has had at least one catch in all but five of his 259 career games.

Gonzalez finished the game with 97 yards on 10 catches. He passed WR Marvin Harrison (14,580 yards) to claim sixth on the NFL’s all-time receiving list, running his career total to 14,607 yards. He is the only tight end in NFL history to amass over 14,000 yards and 1,000 catches.

Gonzalez has posted back-to-back games with 10-or-more catches for the third time in his career and the first time since finishing the 2004 season with an 11 catch game and beginning the 2005 season with a 14 grab effort. Gonzalez caught 12 passes for 149 yards in Week 4.

RB Jason Snelling scored his second receiving touchdown of the season on a four-yard shovel pass from Ryan. Snelling has three touchdowns in 2013, including two receiving touchdowns. He has 16 total touchdowns in his seven-year NFL career.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers scored from four-yards out on the Falcons first drive of the second half to cut the Jets lead to three at 17-14. The touchdown was Rodgers’ first of the season and the third rushing score of his career.

Rodgers added a second touchdown in the fourth quarter when he took a draw and scampered 19-yards to the endzone. Monday night marked the first time in his career that Rodgers has posted two touchdowns in a single game.

DE Osi Umenyiora notched his second multi-sack game of the season, dropping QB Geno Smith twice for a combined loss of 16 yards. Monday, marked his 18th career multi-sack game and he has tallied four sacks this season. Umenyiora ranks eighth among active players with 79 career sacks.

TE Levine Toilolo caught his second career touchdown when he pulled in a three-yard score from Ryan late in the fourth quarter. The rookie from Stanford has seen action in all five games, notching five catches for 25 yards with two scores.

DT Corey Peters notched three tackles (one solo) with one sack, dropping Smith for a 10-yard loss. The fourth-year pro from Kentucky has two sacks this season and has also added 16 tackles (12 solo).

Rookie LB Joplo Bartu notched the first full sack of his career when he brought down Smith for a three-yard loss. Bartu split one sack with LB Akeem Dent at Miami in Week 3.